“Thank you. I can’t wait to get started.”
“I’m reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville. It’s a bit adventurous for me, but I wanted to see what traveling across the seas must be like.”
Wilma opened her book and began to read.
Millie opened hers, but she was too unsettled to read. Instead, she looked around at the other women. Angel sat by the fireplace, not doing really anything. Verna and Velma were crocheting and comparing how far they’d gotten.
Cassie was knitting what looked like was a scarf.
Finally, Joan came in and picked up her knitting.
Quiet voices and crackling flames along with the howling wind were the only sounds in the room. Millie opened the book and started reading. It seemed the book was to be about marriage or searching for a husband.
Millie had never thought much about getting married. Oh, she was definitely of age, but the way she’d looked, she knew no man would want her. As a young girl, she’d dreamed of a man.
Handsome and with money, he would sweep her off her feet. Well, that had been some fairy tale and not likely to happen. However, sitting in Wilma’s clothes did give Millie a sense of the kind of woman she could be.
Perhaps somewhere out there, she could find a good man who would want her.
Chapter 4
Dean closed the store and went upstairs to his living quarters. Thinking of finding a man for Millie had gotten him thinking about his own life. He was alone. At twenty-four, he was of marrying age.
Running the store, he rarely had time to go out and look for a wife. Maybe he should. Life could pass you by quicker than one realized. That was for sure. He bet Tom Carson hadn’t planned that his life would end today.
On the other hand, the man must have felt his life ebbing away to come out here and request that Dean find his daughter a husband. After seeing Millie in those old clothes and dirt, he doubted he could pawn her off on any decent man.
Poor girl. Not to mention, he couldn’t tell how old she was. With those pigtails and freckles, fifteen maybe. Well, he needed to sit down tonight and figure out the eligible men in Stonybrook and go from there.
He hoped Joan could fix the girl up where someone might want her. The wind howled outside and blew against his window. He closed the curtains to keep out some of the cold air. Good thing they got her out of that cabin when they had.
Dean fixed himself a meal of biscuits from this morning and beef jerky and beans. Not much, but he wasn’t the greatest cook. If it hadn’t been so cold, he might have gone to Carly’s Café for dinner.
Then again, talk about marriage, Carly was after any unmarried man who entered her café. She’d wait on him personally and try and get him to court her. He had no intention of marrying that woman.
For one thing, Carly was nearly thirty. And she was taller than he was, and he wasn’t short. Not that he ruled her out because of her size, he just didn’t get along with her. Maybe because she was so desperate.
After his dinner, he cleaned the dishes and sat down with a pencil and paper. Who could he get to marry Millie? There was Spencer Day. He worked at the livery with Mitch. Spencer was a good man. Twenty-two. He didn’t have much, but he was a hard worker.
Then there was Grant Wiggins. He cleaned out the sheriff’s office and swept out different stores around town. Then again, he didn’t have much at all. Dean crossed off his name. He didn’t think Tom would want him to marry Millie off to a poor man.
Dean tried to think who he would want to marry his daughter if he had one. Ty Stewart. Now that would be a good match. He had a ranch outside of town and was doing well. He was a handsome man and had mentioned that he was thinking about finding a wife.
So far, Ty was the one he’d push to marry Millie. Maybe once she got cleaned up and learned some womanly things, he’d take her out to Ty’s and introduce them. Or, they could have a Christmas Social in town.
He’d talk to Pastor Knox and see if that would be all right. In the past, they used the barn at the livery as it had enough room for everyone to dance.
Dean started thinking of the eligible women in town that he might consider. There was Wilma at the boarding house. She was nice and the right age. He’d never really talked to her other than the usual pleasantries of the day.
Stonybrook was a small town. There were probably only one-hundred-and-fifty-people counting children. A little more if you counted the ranches. That was one thing Dean hadn’t counted on. Now it was time to start thinking about a family.
He’d dreamed of having a wife and three or four children. The store was doing well, and he was ready. He’d thought of a mail-order bride, but that seemed reckless to choose a woman from a letter.
Perhaps he’d think about Wilma. At the last social, which he had skipped because he had to get his supplies out, he’d seen Wilma and Ty together. If so, he’d have to erase his one good name as a prospect for Millie.
Maybe the sheriff would know some more men that might take her. This was getting to be more of a bother than he’d thought. If Tom hadn’t died on his bench outside his store, the duty could have fallen to someone else.
Yet, there was no getting away from the duty that was on his doorstep. Dean knew he was the one responsible for finding Millie a husband.
A knock on his door startled him. Dean went to the door that led to the stairs behind his building. Opening it, he saw Sheriff Sims standing outside.
“Come on in. It’s getting colder and colder out there.”
“Yes, it is. Saw the first snowflakes starting to fall.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Well, I got to thinking. After picking up Millie and seeing her living conditions, I wondered how many others are living out there in the cold and are hungry. I talked it over with Mitch, and he’s agreed to loan me the wagon again so we can ride out in the morning and give out food and blankets. Maybe even wood and oil if they need it. Doc Hart is going to go with us.”
“Well, Sheriff. I’ve got a store to run. I can’t just leave it.”
“You did today?”
“I guess I did. I can get Jacob to take over. If there’s snow, we’ll be busy.” Dean felt trapped. Like he had when Tom had ridden to him and then died, leaving him with the last request.
Then in his mind, Dean heard his mother’s sweet voice reminding him that it was his duty to care for others. As a Christian man, you don’t leave your neighbors when they need help. She had been such a good woman. Dean hated it when she died. His mother was the reason the store had done so well. And even then, she gave away a lot of goods to help others. Yet, they never struggled even after his father had died.
Now, the harder Dean tried to make things work, it seemed the less money he had. Maybe Mother had the right idea all along.
“All right. I’ll get Jacob and see if his mother can help at the store. I’m sure if I tell her what I’m doing, she’ll go along and help out. What time do you want to leave?”
“I thought about ten. Let the sun come up if it is.” Sheriff Sims grinned. “I think you’ll be blessed by it.”
Dean grinned. “Maybe so.” Besides, he might be able to find a young man for Millie to marry.
***
By morning, Dean had Jacob and his mother, Ada, ready to work in the store by the time the sheriff came by. He’d also stopped by and convinced Pastor Knox to come along. Dean looked at the pastor. He wasn’t too old, and he wasn’t married either.
“Pastor Knox. Glad you could come.” Dean smiled, thinking that perhaps Millie would make a good pastor’s wife. Well, he didn’t really think she would from what he’d seen yesterday, but he had to find someone to take her.
The pastor nodded. “I think what the sheriff came up with was just what our town needs. Lately, we’ve been pretty much concerned with our own lives and no one else.”
Dean stared at the man. It was almost as if the pastor could see into Dean’s heart. “I think you’re right, Pastor. I’m glad to help others.”
He said the right words, but his heart wasn’t right, and he knew it. How to fix that, Dean wasn’t sure.
Doing the right things for the wrong reasons. Where was the logic in that? Dean worked harder than ever and yet, seemed to have to scramble every month to pay his bills. He stared at the old Bible his mother used to carry around. Sometimes, she’d embarrass him by talking to the customers about the Lord.
Perhaps, she was right. Maybe his heart had hardened. When Dean was young, he remembered times when he’d go outside and climb the trees or play in the creek, and he could feel the Lord around him in a quiet peace that put joy in his heart.
It had been years since he’d felt anything close to that. Now, he felt the pressure of running a business and paying bills. Meeting others' needs, but only to make money. The joy was gone.
Sheriff Sims pulled out a crude map he’d drawn. “I figure if we start on the road out of town and travel west then north and circle back to town, we can cover just about all the surrounding farms and homesteads. It will be a long day, though.”
Pastor Knox smiled. “What a wonderful idea and a grand time to do it with Thanksgiving in a few weeks and then Christmas. I’d like to invite the people to church, especially for Christmas.”
Dean nodded but began thinking of the long day away from his store and possibly more as the sheriff and pastor made plans. All Dean could see was money slipping through his fingers, and he knew he was wrong.
They hadn’t been on the road long when they came to the first poor family. It was a cold day, and the children weren’t properly clothed. Dean was glad that Ada had thrown in some children’s clothes. Some were hers that Jacob had outgrown. Some were from his store.
Dean stayed on the wagon and let the sheriff and pastor give out the goods. The man and woman were near tears as the food was loaded into their arms. They were proud people, but the hard times had burdened them to accept help.
By the fifth family they helped, Dean was off the wagon to help distribute the food. There were clearly more desperate people in need than they had supplies for, and Dean wished he’d put in more cans of beans and flour.
Finally, after three more, the wagon was empty, and they turned for home. The men were quiet, Dean figured each was searching their own hearts and pantries to see what more they could give the next time.
Dean slapped the reins. “That was rather humbling.”
Pastor Knox nodded. “Yes, it’s easy to forget about the hungry and poor that we don’t see. Perhaps easier when we don’t want to see them.”
“I’m sorry, Pastor. I know my mother used to keep a shelf she called the gleaning shelf to give to those who couldn’t afford it. Sometimes customers would buy goods and put them on the shelf. I took that shelf over and used it for goods to sell. Think I’ll go make a new one when I get home.”
“It’s not all up to you. It’s the church’s responsibility.”
“And the towns.” Sheriff Sims drew in a deep breath. “It does feel good to help others. Not always what a lawman gets to do. When I’m out, I’ll keep a lookout for those in need.”
“I think we can make this the best Christmas Stonybrook has had in a long time.” Pastor Knox smiled and rubbed the worn leather covering of his Bible. “I’ve been praying about what to do to help the people in this region.”
Dean nodded, but really it was more out of sadness than agreement with the plans. He’d not paid attention. Right now, if he thought about it, he could list three families that hadn’t been to his store in a month or more.
As the only store around for miles, that meant only one thing. Those families were doing without. He’d add them to a list and make sure the next time they checked on them. For all he knew, they could have moved out, but they could be in trouble.
Since the war, the population of Texas seemed to come and go without warning. He’d seen two families move from their ranch last month. They’d stopped, left forwarding address in the Post Office, and told him they were going back to Arkansas.
The wagon lurched from a hole in the rode, and Dean happened to glance up and see a clump of mistletoe in a tree. That was another thing he had to do, and that was to find a husband for Millie.
“Pastor, would you know of any young men who might be a good husband for Millie Carson?”
The pastor looked at him and grinned. “I heard that you were responsible for taking care of her. I need to look in on her. The funeral is tomorrow.”
Dean stared at him. He figured he should go. He hadn’t really known Tom that well, but since he was the last person on earth to talk to him, he should pay his respects. And pray that Millie would find a husband.
She’d looked a mess, wearing dirty clothes, men’s clothes at that. Her hair looked like it could be pretty, but he had noticed some twigs and branch debris stuck in it. Nope, the way she looked yesterday, Dean couldn’t think of any man who would want her.
What was he going to do with Millie?
Chapter 5
Millie had to admit, as much as she missed her father, she was glad to be away from that shack. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a warm winter. And the bed, so soft and smelled so good. At times, she had to remind herself that Pa had gone to heaven and not herself.
Today was the funeral. The people of the town were being kind enough to provide a place in the cemetery and a coffin. Joan had told her not to worry about a thing, but that was hard to do when Millie had been the one taking care of the money and knew what they owed.
She understood all to well that she had nothing, and the clothes that had been on her back were probably already in the fireplace. The sun shone weakly through the clouds making the sky look like a light silver gold. But it was time to get up.
Millie missed old Blue Dan and hoped he was taken care of somewhere. Dean Scott, the man at the store, had told her they took him to the livery. She wondered if the old mule felt like she did and was glad to have shelter and food.
Not that she ever felt sorry for herself, but life had been hard. She hunted for food and climbed trees to get the mistletoe for Pa to sell. She couldn’t remember the last time she didn’t have to wake up and wonder what she’d be able to get to eat.
Now, she smelled the aroma of frying bacon. Hurriedly she dressed and made her way down to the kitchen where Joan was busy making scrambled eggs.
“Can I help?”
Whirling around, Joan smiled. “Millie, this is your time off to grieve and let us love on you to make the sorrow easier to carry. You can sit in the den and read or wait at the table. Wilma will be down in a few minutes. She’s usually the first one down for breakfast.”
Millie smiled. “All right, but next week I’ll help around with whatever needs to be done.”
Joan tossed the eggs and then flipped a pancake. “You just get ready for the best breakfast you’ve ever had.”
Millie was miles ahead of her. Occasionally, she’d shoot a wild hog, and they’d have bacon. But that had been a while.
Wilma came to the table and sat beside her. “I’ll be going to the cemetery for the funeral with you. That is if that’s all right?”
“Oh, yes. Please do. I don’t think I’ve fully realized my pa is truly gone. I’ll miss him, but I’m glad that he’ll be with mother now. He missed her horribly.”
Wilma patted her hand. “It is hard to lose those you love. I honestly don’t know how those who don’t believe can continue on.”
Joan came in with a plate of eggs and bacon. “I’ll be back with the pancakes and biscuits.”
Before Millie and Wilma could dish out their eggs, Verna and Velma came into the room to take their seats. Cassie followed them.
“Where’s Angel?”
Wilma shook her head. “She doesn’t do breakfast. None of us will ask her why, because we’re afraid we might know and don’t want to.”
Millie looked at her and nodded but didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. Anyway, she had an excellent breakfast to eat.
Joan stopped her. “Wait just a minute.” She opened a closet and brought out a coat and handed it to her. “You need a coat.”
“But I don’t have one.”
Joan looked at her with a grin. “You do now. Try it on and see that it fits.”
Wilma came and helped her put it on. “It looks lovely. A little large, but now that you’re eating at Joan’s boarding house, you’ll fill it in.”
Millie rubbed the arm of her new coat. “It’s wonderful. I can’t wait to go outside.” She opened the door, and the cold air stung her nose, but she was warm.”
Joan walked by her side. “Wilma and I are going with you. The others are staying in. Verna and Velma are a little too old to be out in the cold. Cassie gets sick easily, and Angel is still sleeping.”
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Wilma took her arm, and together the three walked to the hill where the town’s cemetery was located.
Millie didn’t want to go but knew she needed to. She went to the plot where several men were standing over the grave.
The sheriff took her hand. “I’m sorry for your loss, Millie.”
The pastor stood over the grave with his Bible and nodded to her.
Dean Scott, the store owner, was also there. Although he didn’t look like he wanted to be.
She laughed to herself. He was the only honest one there. After all, who wanted to go to a funeral, especially on a chilly November day?
Pastor Knox began singing “Amazing Grace,” and everyone joined in.
Millie did feel better after the hymn and the passages from the Bible. Comfort and peace swallowed her at the reading of the 23rd Psalm. Words she’d known since her smallest memories. A good reminder that the Lord is established on high and lives forever along with those who know Him.
After the funeral was over, the men came over to her. The sheriff was polite and yet businesslike as if this were part of his duties as sheriff. The pastor was tender and spoke in a quiet tone that was calming.
Rescuing Mistletoe Millie Page 3